Buffs Set for Pac-12 Championships

Friday, October 26

Stanford, CA

12:00 PM

Colorado

Pac-12 Cross Country Championships

Junior Sage Hurta

Photo by: Ricky Bassman

October 23, 2018 | Cross Country

2018 XC Pac 12 Notes WATCH

By: Linda Sprouse, Associate SID

BOULDER — The postseason for the University of Colorado cross country teams starts on Friday, October 26, as the Buffs will compete at the 2018 Pac-12 Conference Championships at Stanford Golf Course.

For the second straight year, the championships will be broadcast live on Pac-12 Networks. The women will run a 6-kilometer course first at 11:10 a.m. PT/12:10 p.m. MT, while the men (8k course) will follow at 12:10 p.m. PT/1:10 p.m. MT. A short awards ceremony will follow each race.

The No. 1 CU women are the reigning Pac-12 Champions and have won the team title four times in the last seven years (2011, 15, 16 and 17). In 2011, the Buffs recorded 50 points to top Washington (73) and Stanford (75). In 2015, CU took down Oregon 45-51 for the title and in 2016, the Buffs recorded a 41-point margin a victory, the largest in Pac-12 history, defeating Washington 33-74. The Buffs won their third straight team title in 2017, besting Oregon and Stanford. CU recorded 53 points, while UO and SU each tallied 71 points.

The women are looking for their fifth Pac-12 title, but it won't be easy. There are four teams ranked in the top 30. Oregon is ranked fourth behind the Buffs. Stanford is sixth and Washington comes in at 16^th.

"We are facing some unknowns," head coach Mark Wetmore said. "A Stanford team that we and everyone else would have expected to be a very strong team this year, so far is missing a couple of significant members. Oregon had a coaching change and a very significant change in their roster of people who came out and people who came in. They lost one of the best runners in the country who transferred along with the coaches to Washington, but the new coach came in and brought two women who had finished in the top 15 at the NCAA last year.

"So the Oregon team is a completely new team that we don't know very well; Stanford is missing a couple people who could come out at any moment. We are the favorites; I think that is a fair ranking, but we can't be overconfident or casual about it. We have to be ready to run hard."

CU's eighth-rated men have won six Pac-12 team titles since joining the league in 2011. The Buffs won by seven points in 2011, defeating Stanford 46-53 and in 2012 they defeated the field with a score of 49-82, once again with Stanford coming in second. The Buffs won the 2013 title in front of the home crowd as CU hosted the championship in Louisville, Colo. The Buffs defeated Oregon 28-54 with all five scoring harriers in the top nine. CU defeated Oregon 30-57 in 2014 and in 2015, the Buffs again beat Stanford for the title (46-57). Colorado again edged out the field in 2016, taking the title by just six points (41-47) over Stanford. In 2017, CU suffered its first defeat, losing to Stanford 41-47.

The men will be looking for their seventh Pac-12 title at the meet, but like the women, other teams look to have a say in the matter with six teams ranked. Stanford is the top-ranked Pac-12 men's team at fourth, but Washington is seventh, just ahead of the No. 8 Buffaloes. Oregon is just out of the top 10 at 11^th, while UCLA is 12^th. Washington State is the final team in the rankings at 29^th.

"The men will go into the race ranked third behind Stanford and Washington," Wetmore said. "Each one of those teams has a reasonable chance to win the race if they execute it correctly. So that is our goal: to make no mistakes and have everyone completely healthy. We need to trust our race plan and maximize our chances."

The women have been led this season by senior All-American Dani Jones. The defending Pac-12 Champion looks to defend her title in a very competitive field. She has only raced once this year, finishing fourth overall at the Nuttycombe Wisconsin Invitational.

"The Pac-12 Conference is not an easy one to win," Wetmore said. "There is always someone new. Dani cannot be casual either."

Junior Sage Hurta, another All-American, and senior Makena Morley, an all-region selection, have helped the Buffs to some big wins over the last few years. At Nuttycombe, Morley was second for CU with a sixth-place finish, while Hurta was third as she crossed the finish 13^th overall. Both have done very well at the Pac-12 Championships in the past. Morley's top finish was ninth in 2016, while Hurta was ninth in 2017.

Once again, depth is not an issue for the Buffs. Tabor Scholl, Tayler Tuttle, Mackenzie Caldwell, Brianna Schwartz and Val Constien have all raced on the varsity squad and could easily pick up points for the Buffs.

The Buffs won the Nuttycombe Wisconsin Invitational on Sept. 28, defeating Boise State 80-91. The Buffs also knocked off New Mexico 80-130. CU has not raced its varsity team at any other race this season.

The men's team has a trio of All-Americans on the roster in juniors John Dressel and Joe Klecker, and sophomore Eduardo Herrera. Dressel has returned to the CU lineup after missing the 2017 season. In his first two conference meets, he recorded sixth-place finishes. Klecker, who missed the first race of the season, placed fifth at pre-nationals. He will be looking to finish high at Pac-12s as he was the runner-up in 2017. Herrera has also had a good season and was 10^th in 2017 at Pac-12s.

Ryan Forsyth, a senior, has been having an outstanding season and was 10^th at pre-nationals. He has performed well at Pac-12s, placing ninth in 2016 and seventh in 2017. CU's fifth scorer this season has been senior Ethan Gonzales. He has been improving all season and looks for his best performance at Pac-12s.

The Buffs placed eighth at Nuttycombe, but rebounded with a third-place finish at pre-nationals.

Following the conference championships, both rosters will be cut to seven over the next couple of weeks before the NCAA Mountain Region Championships, November 9, in Provo, Utah, and the NCAA Championships, November 17, in Madison, Wis.

TV INFORMATION: Jim Watson will serve as the play-by-play and Dwight Stone will provide the color. Lewis Johnson joins the duo as the on-course reporter.

RESULTS: Results will be posted on pac-12.com/xcchamps upon the conclusion of the event.

SOCIAL MEDIA: Fans can follow @CUBuffsTrack on twitter for in race updates. The official hashtag of the meet is #Pac12XC.

2018 PAC-12 CROSS COUNTRY CHAMPIONSHIPS
Friday, October 26
Stanford Golf Course (Stanford, Calif.)
11:10 a.m. PST Women's 6k
12:10 p.m. PST Men's 8k
Awards Ceremony to follow